Monday, March 31, 2014

A native of Mexico, marigolds have been grown in gardens throughout the world for hundreds of years. Today, they are one of the most popular bedding plants in the United States. Marigolds are easy to grow, bloom reliably all summer, and have few insect and disease problems. The marigold’s only shortcoming (for some people) is its pungent aroma. There are numerous marigold varieties available to home gardeners. Many of the commonly grown marigolds are varieties of African and French marigolds. (source)

While marigolds are seldom bothered by insects and diseases, they are not problem free. Spider mites can devastate marigolds in hot, dry weather. Grasshoppers can also cause considerable damage. Aster yellows is an occasionally disease problem. In a related matter, some gardeners plant marigolds in their vegetable gardens to repel harmful insects. While the marigolds are an attractive addition to the garden, research studies have concluded they aren’t effective in reducing insect damage on vegetable crops.

Monday, March 17, 2014

This week's art challenge we are going to reconnect with our inner
child through art. Our adult must prepare a little bit for this
challenge. Firstly we must relax and breathe. We must let go of what
other people think, or what our art will look like as a finished
process; we must let go of expected results. We must allow ourselves a
little bit of silliness with adult permission. Once we have established
this we can start to tap into our inner child.

When we are ready with our paper and crayons, relax and breathe a hello to your
inner child. Try to sense her presence, what is her name? Ask your
inner child to trust the process of creativity. Allow yourself to let
go.

Some inner child scribbles transform when the adult returns back to the table.

The
goal to stay close with your creative inner child throughout the week.
We will visit you throughout the week, to see what is going on for you
on those days. You can blog-pop around to see what others are doing.
Create in any media you used as a child. Finger-paint, crayons, tempera
paint, pencil crayons, magic markers, etc. Mediums can be paper, rock,
wood, fabric, play dough, etc.

Allow the inner child to express herself. There is a lot going on in this drawing, the child needs to tell us.

For
best results with the spontaneous connection of your inner child, it is
best to use your non-dominant hand. It is always nice to have a little
story line with the image. Ask your inner child what their name is.

Here is an example: Hi, My name is Sam, I am 2 years old. I am scared of the dark.

Do you remember
your girlfriends when you were in elementary school? You can ask them
to come back and visit you using your left hand. You can tell a little
story like we used to when we were small. "These are my best friends. We
are in grade 3. We like to play outside after school. We are laughing."

I
like to draw and play in kindergarten. I like to make my drawing turn
real. I like to play with my dollies. This is another example of the
child reuniting with the adult after the first initial drawing.

Inner
child art work can bring back your old neighbourhoods, friends and
memories. This inner child made a collage of what surrounds her in her
daily life. This little girl had her birthday in the park.

I
hope you have fun with this challenge. The idea is just to let yourself
let go, remember and re-create.To create without thinking of perfection
or the finished result, or what other people will think. The idea is to
blend from a feeling perspective. The goal is to be brave by giving
yourself permission to create without boundaries.